The Government of Puerto Rico Bets on Creative Industries to Move Its Economy Forward. We are serious and super excited to share just how to make it rain as a creative in Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico Trade and Export Company recently announced two competitions offering incentives/money to creative industries on the island given by the Law-173 to Develop Creatives Industries in Puerto Rico. The competitions are quickly coming to an end–as in you have 2 more days to apply–so go ahead and jump on the opportunity. It’s super easy to apply.
This years’ mainstage lineup reflects those roots, bringing together a mix of legendary and rising Puerto Rican stars. These include hip-hop singer DayLuv, songstress Maxine Ashley, Lower East Salsa, and Johnny Colón. Macha Colón y Los Okapi. Puerto Rican icon and international entertainment phenomenon, Iris Chacon, will host the festivities alongside Marine-combat-vet-turned actor, singer/activist J.W. Cortes (from FOX’s “Gotham”).
The festival includes photography exhibits, film premieres, theater performances and much more. Among the array of activities is a screening of the newly released Cuban film, VIVA. Other screenings include the acclaimed film Mala, Mala and the New York premiere of Romeo y Romeo, directed by Luis Caballero and produced by Selenis Leyva, of HBO’s “Orange is the New Black.”
As the crisis in Puerto Rico intensifies, one group remains largely under reported on by the media and scholars alike: stateside Puerto Ricans. The number of United States based Puerto Ricans continue to increase on the heels of the crisis, and today more Puerto Ricans (5,266,738 million) live stateside than on the island.
A group of pioneering activists and artists are coming together to discuss the possibility and /need/ of taking art and technology to the next level. To them, this is the time for diverse groups and populations to use these new technologies to speak to one another and find overlaps in their struggle for the right to civil and social justice.
